ThinkFun’s President & Co-Founder Bill Ritchie on 21st century thinking and gameplay

Calling all iPad Junkies… Universal Rush Hour App Now Available!

Renowned game and puzzle manufacturer, ThinkFun Inc., is proud to announce the release of Rush Hour for the new Apple iPad. Rush Hour for iPad is the latest addition to the suite of Rush Hour apps available across a wide range of mobile platforms. The new iPad app is designed to take advantage of iPad’s larger screen and Multi-Touch user interface to enhance the play experience. The universal app costs $2.99 while existing Rush Hour for iPhone and iPod touch customers will receive free upgrades.

Rush Hour on the iPad

“It’s fitting for Rush Hour to be one of the first apps launched on the iPad,” said Bill Ritchie, CEO and Co-Founder of ThinkFun. “Rush Hour is the original sliding block logic puzzle, and it is the granddaddy of all the ‘beginner to expert’ logic puzzles now on the market. The iPad is a genuine game changer, and we are thrilled to again be at the beginning of a new era in game playing.”

The Rush Hour iPhone App has received rave customer reviews on iTunes for its clever challenges and intuitive navigation. ThinkFun has completely rebuilt the game graphics to take advantage of the iPad’s innovative Multi-Touch interface and large screen.

Rush Hour for iPad is packed with features, such as:

The free app has 35 original challenges. The full version has 2500 challenges ranging from EASY to EXPERT

Perfect Score — Rush Hour tracks the spaces moved to get out of traffic jams and compares it to the shortest path possible. You win when you get the Red Car out… but you can’t claim mastery until you hit a perfect score.

Hint Button — If you feel a little lost and want a nudge in the right direction, the HINT button is ready for you to press as often as you like.

Solve Button — No matter where they are in a challenge, the solve button shows players how to solve it, then puts them back where they left off so players can learn and complete the challenge themselves.

Multi-language — In addition to English, Rush Hour is available in German, Spanish and French. Viva Rush Hour!

“Rush Hour was late to the mobile app market, and we knew we needed to do something special to make an impact,” said Ritchie. The company contracted with a master programmer to reimagine how to generate the puzzle challenges, developing a system that can create and sort tens of thousands of new Rush Hour challenges! “Bringing that program up to speed was like discovering a gold mine; it brought a whole new dimension of play to what was already the world’s most fun puzzle!”

So is having Rush Hour available at the launch of the iPad a pinnacle of success for this venerable puzzle game? “Not at all,” says Liz Deakin, ThinkFun’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “We are now working on a Multi-Player version of Rush Hour, slated for release this summer, where players compete for fastest times over the internet. We are developing an online version of Rush Hour to help teach thinking skills as part of a disciplined program for families and schools. For us, the Apple iPad release doesn’t represent an end, it’s more like a new beginning. We are very excited!”